The exterior appearance of boats is of such importance to boaters that millions of dollars are spent annually on customized paint jobs and other exterior appearance enhancements. Current technology for attaching a canvas to a boat generally includes fasteners extending upward or outward from the painted exterior surface of the boat. Traditionally, the fastening devices are unsightly stainless steel snap locks and similar, disparaging the exterior appearance of an otherwise attractive boat. Thus, ironically, a canvas which has the purpose of protecting a boat's customized painting is generally attached to the boat by fasteners which have the impact of disturbing the desired sleek appearance of the boat's exterior appearance. A problem, to which the present invention presents a solution, is that current fasteners extend upward from the surface and interfere with the exterior appearance of the boat. A flush-mounted fastening system which securely fastens canvas while minimizing interference with the intended appearance of the surface is desired.
Prior art teachings, for example U.S. Pat. No. 3,164,054, issued to Donald L. Biesecker, assignor, on Jan. 5, 1965, discloses a fastener including a bushing with a rib and shoulder means adapted to be applied to an apertured workpiece. Such a bushing means is suitable for connecting a first workpiece or article of manufacture with a second apertured workpiece. The bushing fastener, however, does not disclose a means for attaching a fastening device to a surface for the purpose of securing a sheeted material to a workpiece or surface. Also, the bushing fastener is not continuously flush-mounted because the bushing fastening device has a converging surface which does not remain stationary. In addition, the security of the bushing fastener is limited because a workpiece is secured primarily by convergence and a groove section. The groove section may require a special design in a workpiece or may restrict the nature of the surface and limit the width of the surface. Further, the bushing fastener is slotted, thereby increasing the risk that the bushing may "tear away" from a workpiece. Still further, the bushing fastener does not provide for the release of water which may collect in the bushing. During winter storage, any collected water might freeze, expand and destroy such a fastener.
Accordingly, it is a primary object of the present invention to provide a fastening device for attaching a protective sheet material to a surface. This is especially useful for attaching a canvas to a boat hull. Having as its fundamental design criteria of being flush-mounted, the present invention has an advantage over current technology. The present invention permits a sheeted material to be attached to a surface, such as a canvas to be attached to a boat, without disturbing the exterior appearance of the boat because the flush-mounted fastening device does not "break" the lines or continuity of color of an attractively painted surface. This is essentially a flush-mounted fastening device, most notably to be used in the marine industry for securely fastening canvas and other materials to a boat hull or other painted surface.